Tag: Edward Schinik

Many Americans are scared when it comes to investing and I get it. You don’t want to see your hard earned money go to waste on a specific investment. However, saving is generally worse than investing. If you save your money, inflation will eat away at it year after year. In other words, your dollar amount will decrease over time. In this article, I’m going to be breaking down my three best tips on how you along with the average investor can beat the stock market. Let’s get started!

1. There are no shortcuts to building wealth:

As we all know, it takes years and years to build the kind of wealth you desire. Find a good mutual fund and investment vehicle that has shown to get a consistent return over decades. If you look at the S&P 500, it has been consistently growing throughout history even though it has experienced some corrections and recessions. The last thing you want is a lot of volatility and speculation in the assets that you are invested in. The biggest takeaway is learning to ride the market through all of its ups and downs. Invest in quality companies that have a proven track record in a diversified portfolio. Vanguard mutual funds are a great option. All in all, it’s your goal to stay disciplined no matter where the market is at the time.

2. Diversification is very important:

Like Warren Buffett says, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”. When he says that, he’s referring to investing and how you shouldn’t put all of your money into a single investment. The reason is that you need to rely on that one asset to produce and if it doesn’t, you’re out of money. Instead, Buffett says to diversify into multiple investments that have a proven track record. In other words, invest in quality companies. Apple, Google, and Amazon are all quality companies that aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. By diversifying into many quality assets, you’ll take less of a hit financially when the market tanks.

3. Don’t invest in things you don’t understand:

This is very self-explanatory but many people fail to abide by this rule. This is one of the many reasons why 90% of traders active in the markets fail. If you don’t understand what you are investing in, it’s best to just not invest at all. For example, a person who successfully flips cars for a living wouldn’t try and flip real estate. Why? Because they already have a proven track record of flipping cars. This goes for all types of investing. All in all, focus on the investments and assets you can control. Always formulate a plan before you invest in anything. Make sure that the potential for profit outweighs the potential for loss. The last step is to never invest based off of someone else’s opinion. It’s your hard earned money and you should get to decide where that money should be invested.

Running a business is a daunting task, and as an entrepreneur, the last thing you want to do is invest or start a business in a disheartening nation. Nonetheless, opportunities exist everywhere around the world, and not just in your hometown or home nation. Even though much has been said about economic globalization and our increasingly connected business realm, if you are starting a business, your first assumption might be not to launch one in, say, Singapore. But as it turns out, Singapore Is, in fact, one of the best nations you can start a business, and I’ll tell you why in a minute. That said, here is my review of the best overseas nations for entrepreneurs in 2018.

1. Germany:

For years, Germany has been regarded to as the friendliest nation to entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their businesses. If you are an entrepreneur in Germany, then you can affirm that the nation features a stable political and economic environment for entrepreneurial ideas. Better yet, Germany is a safe haven for intellectual assets. Your ideas, such as inventions, concepts and company logos will be protected in Germany by trademark, Patent and Copyright laws. The nation has also been paying attention to maintaining transparency in the business sector. The competition law, for instance, does not allow your competitors to make false claims regarding your business just to attract your clients. This not only protects you as an entrepreneur, but it also protects your customers.

2. New Zealand:

In New Zealand, incorporating your business can take a single day, and registering your property can take less than 48 hours. Still more, labor costs are low, and the workforce is educated and skilled. In terms of taxes, New Zealand has no Payroll, capital gains or social security taxes. This explains why the nation rules the list of “easiest countries to do business.”

3. The United States:

The reason the USA is one of the best countries to be an entrepreneur is that you’ll find a diversified and well-educated workforce in the nation. Furthermore, the states is a recognized world leader in innovation as well as research and development. Entrepreneurs in the country can also find a myriad of funding sources, such as angel investors, venture capitalists, banks, and investment banks.

4. Singapore:

Singapore is one of the few first world nations in Asia. What qualifies this nation to be on this list is its stable socio-political environment, highly efficient infrastructure, free market economy and an attractive tax regime that favors Entrepreneurs. In 2011, the lion city had the fastest growing economy in Asia, surpassing China by 14.5 percent.

5. Norway:

Norway has an excellent economy and most communication with government authorities is done online. Registering your business will be quick in Norway and filing tax returns is relatively straightforward. Even better, this is the “go-to” nation for entrepreneurs looking to resolve insolvency because Fees in the nation average 1 percent of the “bankrupt” business’s value. Nonetheless, there is a slight challenge you ought to expect if you are starting a business in Norway: labor regulations can prove to be too rigid and acquiring building permits can be a hassle.

The stock market has seen record-breaking gains in the last year since President Donald Trump took office, but this has not encouraged Americans to invest, notably the millennial generation. A Gallup poll conducted in May 2017 revealed that only 54 percent of the population has stock market interests through personal investment accounts or 401(k) plans at work.

The low rate of engagement has driven the development of apps to encourage investing. While these apps offer a simplified investment process with lower fees, they may not be the right solution for everyone. Edukate CEO and founder Chris Whitlow said people should closely examine their finances to ensure an investment app is the correct choice before diving in with IRA contributions and extra income from recent tax cuts.

The pros and cons of the most popular investment apps are explained below.

Acorns App:

Acorns monitors the user’s bank account and invests the leftover funds after purchases. The system is called “roundups,” and it is one of the easiest ways to invest.

Pros: An excellent app for beginners with a minimal learning curve

Cons: Limited choices for investing

Stash App:

Stash is another simple app that allows the purchase of fractional shares, starting at $5. The focus of the app is on retirement savings, and the only requirement is a checking account.

Pros: Many available investment options based on market preferences

Cons: Only good for long-term investing

Robinhood App:

Those who are concerned about fees are a good match for the Robinhood app. It offers the ability to trade stocks and not pay fees. Users must apply to use the app, and are sent an instructional video after approval.

Pros: Allows for complete control of an investment portfolio.

Cons: None

Betterment App:

This app falls into the “roboadvisor” category by doing the same job as a human advisor for less money. It works by automatically investing in stocks and bonds based on the user’s risk threshold.

Twine is a newcomer to the investment app scene and is the first one built especially for couples. It simplifies the process of saving for life events such as vacations, weddings and down payments on homes.

Pros: Perfect for collaborative saving

Cons: None

While all of the apps listed above are a good entry point for investing by people with low or moderate incomes, Chris Whitlow warns they should not be considered as an ultimate financial strategy. He added that it is important to know both the risks and the advantages to meet money goals, and the apps are simply one way of accomplishing that.

Mark Angelo co-founded the Investment Manager in August 2009 and two affiliated investment managers.

If you think through your past investment activities, you may notice that some of your more significant mistakes have been related to emotions. For example, the market took a downturn, and you sold stocks when it was better to ride through the storm. This type of loss can be considered to be an emotional cost of investing. It may be one of the more significant investing costs that you could face, and these tips can help you to reduce the impact of emotions on your decision-making processes.

Create a Plan:

Many people make investments with the decision to simply see how much money that they can make from them. However, with all investments that you make, you need to have an up-front plan regarding when to sell. Determine what profit you expect to make from the investment, and stick to your plan. Of course, you should sell when there is a fundamental reason to do so. For example, cut your losses if the company is about to go bankrupt. Otherwise, be prepared to weather the storm.Focus on Your Goals:

You may be a short-term investor looking for a quick gain, or you may have a long-term hold position in mind. Remember that long-term investing means that your investments will have high and low periods. Before you sell during a downturn, ask yourself if this decision will help you to reach your goals. When you always make decisions with your goals in mind, you will let your goals guide your decisions rather than your emotions.

Have an Emergency Savings Account:

Some investors make emotional decisions that result in financial loss because they are afraid of losing a considerable amount of money that they may need access to within the next few months. In a sense, they do not have the financial means to withstand a serious downturn. One way that you can combat this type of emotional decision-making is to establish and fund an emergency savings account. You certainly do not want more money than necessary sitting in an account with a low rate of return. However, this is preferred over the possibility of taking huge losses related to emotional decisions. Therefore, plan to have at least nine to 12-months of your expenses saved in an emergency savings account.

Understand the Investing Experience:

Some very low-risk investments will increase in value at a slow rate without ever decreasing in value. However, when you want to see major gains, you can reasonably expect to deal with more risk and greater fluctuations. This is a part of the investment experience that many investors understand initially. However, they are ill-prepared to actually deal with the effects of losses. When you focus on this understanding and when you understand that markets eventually rebound if you wait long enough, you can avoid unnecessary losses.

Financial losses from investing can be staggering at times, and they often are unnecessary. Many losses are the result of emotional decision-making. Apply these tips to your activities to avoid this type of loss.

Mark Angelo co-founded the Investment Manager in August 2009 and two affiliated investment managers.

When the Kansas City Harley-Davidson Inc. assembly plant shutters its door for good next fall, more than 800 people will lose their jobs.

Why the closure

The company made the announcement of the plant’s closing in a notice to its investors Jan. 29. The plant is being closed in part due to a decline in sales. According to the company, its global sales were down 6.7 percent in 2017 when compared to 2016. Harley sales were down in the United States 8.5 percent. Overseas, the company’s sales slumped by 3.9 percent.

The move will consolidate the motorcycle company’s manufacturing operations in the United States. Production at the Missouri facility will be moved to a plant in York, Pa.

Employee reaction

The announcement came as a complete surprise to employees of the plant, most of who are represented by one of two labor unions.

Union officials described the closure as devastating not only to employees and their families, but to the entire Kansas City area. The plant has been in operation since 1997 and produced Harley’s iconic Softail, Sportster and Street two-wheelers.

They also complained that they were not notified ahead of time that the plant would close.

Impact on employees

Employee layoffs will begin in the late spring or summer. Salaried workers will receive severance packages and information on other employment options that are available to them in the local area.

Workers paid by the hour are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

The plant in York is expected to increase its staff by 450. The facility will also be expanded to accommodate the additional workforce of full-time, casual and contract employees. The consolidation of the two plants is anticipated by the company to begin almost immediately.

The company has also pledged to not outsource any of the positions that arise due to the Kansas City plant’s closing overseas. Harley-Davidson has manufacturing facilities in Brazil, India and Thailand which serve the needs of those markets.

Impact on Kansas City

Kansas City beat out 30 other municipalities for the plant during a competition that stretched out for months. The city, county and state combined to offer a $6.4 million dollar incentive package. Those incentives have now grown to tens of millions.

Governmental leaders have expressed confidence that the city will remain a vital economic hub for the Midwest, pointing to its robust technology sector.

Building a business is one of the most challenging projects that you could ever take on. Going from idea to profitable business is very unlikely and those that successfully create a viable business have really accomplished something. Once you have a business, you may decide to cash out and sell it to someone else. If you’re thinking about selling, here are a few important steps to take first.

Get Financial Records Ready

Any potential buyer is going to want to see financial records of your business. If you are behind on keeping up with the books, now would be a good time to get caught up. There are also steps that you can take when running the business to make it look more attractive to a potential buyer. For example, many business owners incur business expenses to help themselves avoid paying income taxes on profits. However, when you look at the finances of the business later, it makes it seem like the business is not profitable. If you want to sell your business in the future, stop trying to avoid taxes and make the business look as profitable as possible.

Get a Business Appraisal Done

Before you list your business for sale on the market, you need to get a realistic opinion of what it’s worth. In many cases, entrepreneurs are partial to their own businesses and they overvalue them. In reality, the price that the business could sell for on the open market is much less. If you work with a competent business appraiser, they will be able to tell you a realistic number that your business is worth. They’ll look at factors like sales, profit, assets, and what similar businesses have sold for recently. If you list your business for too much, it could stall the sale from happening. If a business sits on the market for too long, potential buyers might start to wonder if something is wrong with the business.

Get Documents in Order

In the beginning stages of starting a new business, it can be a whirlwind of activity. You do whatever is necessary to get the business going and sometimes details get lost along the way. If you are thinking seriously about selling the business, take the time to get all of the important documents in order now. Things like the articles of organization, the operating agreement, business license, sales tax ID, federal tax ID and other documents are critical to locate. Sometimes, not being able to find all of the pertinent information can turn off a potential buyer. They wonder what other important details you might have missed along the way. Get all of the important business documents together and keep them in a safe place. Anything you can think of that you would like access to as a business owner is important to include.

Successfully selling your business can be invigorating, but it often takes a lot to get to the finish line. Be patient and be willing to work with your potential buyer to make it work for both parties.

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Mark Angelo Biography

Mark Angelo co-founded Yorkville Advisors in February of 2001. Since inception, Mark has guided the Firm in investing in over 500 financial transactions with a notional value of more than $3 billion. As portfolio manager to the funds managed by the Firm, he is responsible for overseeing many aspects of the day-to-day operations, including deal structuring, investment decisions, business development and trading, while continuing his emphasis on the preservation of capital with low volatility. As an authority on structured financing products, Mark is frequently cited for commentary in industry publications and news sources.